Cold Case Reopened after Body Found Hidden in Basement

Police have reopened the cold case of missingfirst-grade teacher JoAnn Nichols after finding her remains hidden in a plasticcontainer behind a false wall in her dead husband’s basement.

Primary suspect James Nichols reported his wife missing27 years ago.  In December 2012, he was found dead in his home at theage of 82.  After finding no relatives,“county officials buried the IBM retiree and hired a contractor to clean outthe house, which was stuffed with hoarded items and trash.”  The contractor found the skeleton lastFriday.

See TheAssociated Press, Remains Walled Up inBasement Identified as US Woman Missing Since 1985; Died of Blow to Head,Canada.com, July 2, 2013.